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2017 March Luncheon Seminar Recap

Frank Monkiewicz Photography www.frankmonkiewicz.com

By Kathryn Eagan, BSC Group

On Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Boston City Council President Michelle Wu joined WTS-Boston to celebrate Women’s History Month and recognize female leaders. Michelle has been the Council President since January 2014 when she was elected unanimously by her colleagues and became the first woman of color to serve as Council President.

Michelle spoke candidly about initiatives that are important to her and those that will have the greatest impact on her constituents. These include providing accessible and affordable public transportation to all residents of Boston, engaging residents, and encouraging participation in public outreach. Michelle also emphasized the importance of having women leaders as positive role models.

Michelle and the City Council are approaching transportation issues by being proactive, innovative, and collaborative. This past year they brought experts to the Council to explore how the Council can contribute to transportation improvements at the city level. They held five sessions, in conjunction with Northeastern University and Professor Peter Furth, on low stress bicycle networks, pedestrian safety, Vision Zero, transit signal priority, and parking management. All five sessions can be viewed on the City Council’s website. Michelle is also completing a report on the five sessions that will outline the Council’s recommendations to improve transportation in the city.

According to Michelle, the challenge now, at all levels of government, is to rebuild trust with residents. Michelle believes that resident outreach is essential to a successful democracy. Public outreach is a way for government officials to get visibility in the community and hear what is important to City’s residents, and build a relationship with them. She wants residents to see government officials as a reliable source to ask for help.

Michelle also spoke about the importance of role models and being there for the next generation of young girls. Just as important, Michelle said, was shaping the perception of adults around young girls who tell them what or who they can be when they grow up. Michelle stressed the need for women to be active, to get involved, to be in positions of leadership, and to take responsibility for setting the tone for the next generation.

WTS-Boston thanks Michelle for joining us and sharing her insights regarding transportation and female leadership!

Frank Monkiewicz Photography www.frankmonkiewicz.com

To see more photos from the event please visit the WTS-Boston Flickr page, click here.